Book Description
The mixed results of the ecumenical dialogue since the Second Vatican Council have made it clear that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome remains the single most serious obstacle on the path of ecumenism.

In his landmark 1995 encyclical Ut unum sint, Pope John Paul II reiterated the constant teaching that the Catholic Church "has preserved the ministry of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the Bishop of Rome". He also invited leaders and theologians of other Christian communities to engage in a "patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject…to find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation".

This book explores in depth the discussion of papal primacy in the Catholic-Orthodox, Catholic-Lutheran and Catholic Anglican dialogues, along with an appendix on the concept of "Sister Churches". Each chapter describes how the primacy is viewed in the respective churches or ecclesial communities, then it analyzes the documents of the official ecumenical dialogue and realistically evaluates the results achieved thus far. ... Read more

Book Description
In 1918, the Right Reverend Edward T. Demby took up the reins as Suffragan (assistant) Bishop for Colored Work in Arkansas and the Province of the Southwest, an area encompassing Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and New Mexico. Set within the context of a series of experiments in black leadership conducted by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas in the early decades of the twentieth century, Demby's tenure in a segregated ministry illuminates the larger American experience of segregation disguised as a social good.

Intent on demonstrating the industry and self-reliance of black Episcopalians to the church at large, Demby set about securing black priests for the diocese, baptizing and confirming communicants, and building schools and other institutions of community service. A gifted leader and a committed Episcopalian, Demby recognized that black service institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and orphanages, would be the means to draw African Americans back to the Episcopal Church, which they had abandoned in droves after emancipation as the church of their former masters.

For more than twenty years, hamstrung by white apathy, lack of funds, jurisdictional ambiguity, and the Great Depression, Demby doggedly tried to establish the credibility of a ministry that was as ill conceived as it was well intended. Michael J. Beary skillfully narrates the shifting alliances within the Episcopal Church and shows how race was but one aspect of a more elemental struggle for power. He demonstrates how Demby's steadiness of purpose and nonconfrontational manner gathered allies on both sides of the color line and how, ultimately, his judgment and the weight of his experience carried the church past its segregationist experiment. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on February 24, 2006. The length of the article is 1186 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Managing the priestly ministry meltdown: creative management needed from bishops to resolve clergy shortage.(VIEWPOINT)
Author: Michael J. Gallagher
Publication: National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 24, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 42Issue: 17Page: 10a(2)

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 522 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Bishop von Galen: German Catholicism and National Socialism.(Book Review)
Author: Michael J. Phayer
Publication: The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66Issue: 4Page: 872(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Customer Reviews (1)

Great discussion of issues in the church today
Great discussion with a bishop who participated in the Vatican II Council. With a nun and a lay person, Bishop Remi DeRoo discusses issues facing the church and the world today and also gives a perspective on the V II Council and expectations following it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wow!
We are fortunate to have a Chapel of Perpetual Adoration in a nearby town (Shinnston, WV) and I was looking for something to read during my weekly hour visit.I ordered the book because I had always heard about Bishop Sheen but had never read any of his works.He was from the `before my time' era.Would it apply to my life?Well, so far I've only read the first 3 chapters, and WOW it hits me right where I am in my prayer journey.Our God is so remarkable, transcending time and space to meet me through the pages of this book.If you are looking for something to bring you to the Lord, this book is it.It has just the right amount of information to spend an hour in quiet prayer time (maybe less).Each chapter has part of one of Bishop Sheen's sermons (or excerpt from a book) and a reflection and then some thought provoking questions.This is one book I am keeping!!

My privilege
I had the great privilege of seeing Fulton Sheen's television show the first time around.I was just a child, but the man with the twinkling eyes and beetle brows spoke to me as well as to my parents.His warmth, kindness, holiness and humor absolutely radiated.We are fortunate that the author and editor of this book took the time to save these wonderful and holy thoughts of a wonderful and holy man.

Why I put this little book together...
I have been a big fan of Archbishop Sheen for many years and now pray daily for his sainthood. In the history of the Catholic Church in the United States there has been no greater promoter of Eucharistic Devotion than Archbishop Sheen. I have gathered snipets of this writing and arranged it for prayerful use or just to familiarize those who may not be familiar with the Archbishop of his writings.

Search through the book and get a feel for why this great man should be one of the first native born American saints! If you would like a holy card visit my homepage, just do a search on Google of my name. ... Read more

Book Description
After the impact of the car shattered his body on the evening of January 11, 2004, …

… the hospital trauma-unit staff offered little hope that Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., would survive.

Then the news spread. And the prayers began.

"Apparently, by a medical miracle, I am still alive — having really been considered dead. One can't miss the conclusion that when this happens, God still wants you here. … I don't know what God has in store for me, nor do you know what He has in store for you; yet a conviction that must guide us both is `Your will be done.' "

Now Father Benedict reflects on the good that has come — and continues to come — from that horrific accident. And, responding to questions posed by noted British journalist John Bishop in an interview before the accident, he reflects on:

• Founding the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

• Spending time in jail for civil disobedience outside an abortion clinic

• Recognizing where God is when suffering intensifies and evil prospers

• Understanding Christ's feeling of abandonment on the cross

• Discovering and living one's vocation

• Loving the poor wholeheartedly

• Being "gently scolded" by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

• And more.

"I want to share with you two principles upon which I have built my life. The first is from St. Augustine: `God does not cause evil, but that evil should not become the worst.' Second: `There are no accidents. Evil things occur because of bad will or stupidity or fatigue, yet whatever the cause God will bring good out of it if we let Him.' " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Well-Received
This product was delivered in a timely manner and was just as the description had listed... Positive purchase experience.

Pleasant and Easy Reading, Encouraging and Uplifting
Everything that Father Groeschel has written is excellent in one way or another. Some of his books are more deeply theological or philosophical; some, written as much from his perspective as a world-renowned psychologist, and former teacher at Columbia as from his priestly perspective - require pondering and meditating in order to absorb the teachings. Others - like this slim volume - present his practical spirituality and his almost Zen-like outlook on resting in our trust in God. Half of this book is a fascinating interview, and the remainder is taken from his speaking and writing on the terrible events surrounding his near fatal accident. The reader does come away with a feeling of hope and courage to face life's challenges.

Amazing Grace - a much larger book than it appears!
Done in an easy conversational style, this books reads quickly and easily.Every couple pages, though, a profound concept is delivered so clearly that it just might change your life.

A Holy Man Reflects
Father Groeschel, a Franciscan priest living in the Bronx, reflects on part of his philosophy of life, formed from a lifetime of contemplation on religious and other issues. If you have seen him talk, you already know his straight-forward, frank approach, combined with his deeply religious approach to life. This books helps the reader know him better, and provides some worthwhile incites.He is the holiest man I've ever met (I met him in 1992 and 1993, spoke with him for only a few sentences).

A Man Who Put's His Life Where His Faith Is
On January 11, 2004, a car in Orlando, Florida struck Father Benedict Groeschel and nearly took his life. I heard about the accident on the morning of January 12th when I arrived for work. News about Father's condition was slow in coming that morning and like countless others who were shocked by the news that day, I did what I knew Father Benedict would want me to do- I prayed.
Later that same morning as I was opening my mail, I found among the parcels received a large envelope from overseas. Contained within the packet was a letter that began--"Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. suggested that you might be interested in publishing this..."
The "this" in question was a lengthy interview, book length, which the author John Bishop had conducted with Father Benedict. Reading it I was reminded of the greatness of this humble friar and the difference that he and his religious community the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have made in the Church in the United States and throughout the world.
As I read through the interview, I was struck with the irony of receiving it on the very day that Father had suddenly been silenced, and how John Bishop had asked all the right questions-the range of which covers every conceivable question that a Catholic living in the United States in the twenty-first century would like answered.
I have known Father Benedict for over twenty years, first as a Capuchin friar and then as a co-founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. I have benefited from his wisdom while making both individual retreats with him and as a member of group retreats he has preached. I have been blessed to work with him on two previous books that Our Sunday Visitor has published: The Cross at Ground Zero-a response to the attacks of 9/11 and From Scandal to Hope-a response to the current crisis in the Catholic Church. I have seen Father in action and what he is able to accomplish on an average day is nothing short of miraculous. Even now recuperating from his injuries he continues to reach out through the Friars Internet site with daily meditations drawn from his recovery in the hospital and now in this book that you hold in your hands.
This book contains the interview that I first read on the morning following Father Benedict's accident in Part One. In Part Two you will read Father Benedict's reflections upon his accident, recovery and how all that he has experienced has only validated what he has preached to others throughout his years of ministry.
There is one part of the interview where the John Bishop, quizzes Father about how he came to start all the charitable enterprises that he has during his life. Father Groeschel repeats his answer a number of times..."No plans, be led." Whatever God wants, Father Benedict will be led in that direction, hopefully you and I can learn that lesson too, as Father says after the accident, "there are no accidents"-may this great man's faith help you and I to trust in God ever more, no matter what may happen! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome book about an awesome priest
I strongly recommend this wonderful little book about a very brave and noble priest.I would love to learn more about this priest and his mission to the Arctic. ... Read more